Always (Crash My Party)
by Dr. Austin A. Winchester
Summary: A fic about Morgan and Prentiss written to Luke Bryan's song "Crash My Party".


_It don't matter what plans I've got,_

_I can break 'em._

_Yeah, I can turn this thing around at the next red light_

_And, I don't mind telling the guys I can't meet 'em_

_Hell, we can all go raise some hell on any other night_

Derek Morgan turned the radio up, and drummed his hand hands against the steering wheel of his vehicle along with the beat of the song. Easing the truck to a stop at the next red light, he couldn't help but wonder what he and guys would do tonight-drinking with David Rossi was always a good time. Reminiscing over past nights out with the male members of the team, which somehow usually included Will and/or Kevin, Derek almost didn't hear his phone ring. Grabbing the device, the profiler looked down at the screen and saw his partner's smiling face staring back at him.

If it was anybody else, he would have let the call go to voicemail. Nights out with just the guys were rare and getting rarer as Will had to go home to JJ and tuck a young Henry into bed. Hotch, if he joined them, would leave early to try to see his son before he went to bed. While Derek liked Kevin, the two weren't best friends. Besides, the nerd's relationship with Morgan's 'Baby Girl' was getting more and more serious. Rossi was divorced and if they didn't go out Morgan guessed him to just sit home and contemplate about the worst years of his life-retirement. Finally, Dr. Reid wasn't very social and would rather sit at home watching Star Trek than go out drinking at a club. So, when plans for tonight were arranged two weeks prior, nothing or no one was going to stop him from downing a few drinks with the guys.

But, Emily Prentiss wasn't just anybody. The woman played her cards close to the chest and rarely asked for help, even if she needed it. So, if she were calling him away from the office with no threats of serial killers, he had no choice but to answer. _"I can take it." _Even while she was being thrown into a wall with blood gushing from several cuts, she didn't ask for help. Instead she told them not to help her. _"Always." _He's probably repeated that promise a thousand times to her by now, but he only keeps saying it to remind her that he is there for her wherever or whenever she needs him.

Accepting the call, he placed the phone to his ear as he slowly stepped on the gas once more as the light turned green. "Hey Emily," he greeted with a smile. Silence greeted him on the other end, followed by a single sob. His smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown. "Emily?" He asked into the mouthpiece, his voiced laced with concern.

"I'm sorry," while he would recognize her voice anywhere, he barely recognized it now. Her tone was soft and weak. Something was wrong. "I-"

"Hold on, Emily," he cut her off. "I'll be right there."

Hanging up, he thumbed through the list of contacts saved in his phone, all the while calculating the distance to her apartment. Finding the number he was looking for, he pressed the green send button and placed the phone to his ear once more. He listened to it ring three times on the other end before a snarky voice finally picked up.

"Rossi," he rushed without a proper greeting. "Something came up. I can't make it tonight."

"Say hi to Emily for me."

Derek hung up and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. Damn profilers knew everything.

_Girl, I don't care,_

_Oh, I just gotta see what you're wearin'_

_Your hair, is it pulled up or fallin' down_

_Oh, I just have to see it now_

As he performed an illegal U-turn and turned the vehicle back the way he had come, Derek couldn't but wonder what Emily would be wearing when he got to her apartment. She was always dressed professionally in slacks and a blouse with a jacket for work. When the whole team went out, she wore jeans. And while it didn't matter at all to him what she wore in the privacy of her own home, Derek couldn't help but admit that he was more than intriqued by the woman and wondered if she was the kind of girl who got dressed and wore jeans and a t-shirt around the house, or if she was the kind of girl to wear sweat pants and a tank top around the house with her tied up in a messy bun. No matter what she wore while lounging around, he knew she was beautiful.

_If you wanna call me, call me, call me,_

_You don't have to worry bout it, Baby_

_You can wake me up in the dead of the night_

_Wreck my plans, Baby, that's alright_

_This is a drop everything kind of thing_

_Swing on by, I'll pour you a drink_

_The door's unlocked, I'll leave on the lights_

_Baby, you can crash my party anytime_

"Thank you," Emily whispered, encompassing him in a tight embrace. By now, her tears had dried, and her eyes were no longer red and swollen. Though it was late, she had enjoyed Derek's company and was glad he had come over. And with his arms wrapped tightly around her, a sense of security and place of belonging washed over her and she didn't want him to leave her alone again.

"Al-" he started to repeat, but decided against it. Holding her close, his arms tightened around her waist. "Baby," he whispered into her ear, "you can crash my party anytime."

He had basically stated his promise but in different words. But for Emily, it meant so much. Instead of the simple always, he had just told her to call her whenever she needed to without hesitation.

Smiling, she squeezed him tight one more time before their hold on each other loosened and they pulled away. "Oh and Derek," she said, opening the door for him as the other hand picked at the fabric of her t-shirt.

"Yeah?" he asked, stepping out into the hallway.

"Don't ever call me Baby again."

His smile widening into a grin, he waved goodbye to her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Princess."

_Ain't a spot downtown that's rockin' the way you that rock me_

_Ain't a bar that can make me buzz the way that you do_

He didn't know what it was, there was something about Emily Prentiss that rocked him more than the thought of any other woman had ever done. From the first day they met, he was immediately impressed by her linguistic skills. His former partner, Elle Greenaway, had been able to speak spanish, which had come in handy when they had traveled to Mexico to stop a killer, but he had never met anyone before that could speak Arabic. And there Emily was reading the Arabic text as if it were English.

Not to mention, her love of Kurt Vonnegut's books rivaled his own. She was smart, a bit of a nerd, really, but he didn't have to worry about her out in the field. He held a black belt in Judo, but at times he couldn't help but wonder if she held a black belt in martial arts as well. She could kick his ass at any time she chose to and he knew it.

Just her overall character intrigued him. Everyday, and on quite a few cases, her strengthof character was revealed to them and he'd by lying if he wasn't amazed by it. Sometimes Derek even found himself wondering about her past, wanting to know just what nightmares she had lived through that had given her that strength.

God, just thinking about her seemed to give him a bigger buzz than just one beer would.

_I could be in the front row of the best show_

_And look down and see your face on my phone_

_And I'm gone, so long, hang on_

_I'll meet you in a minute or two_

"Will you quit hogging the popcorn?" Garcia asked as she pulled the overflowing bowl of popcorn away from him.

He loved his scheduled movie nights with the tech. They didn't get to spend a lot of one on one time together with their job, so these nights were treasured.

Shrugging, he released the bowl and let her take it. Without the bowl in his lap, he could lean forward in excitement, his adrenaline rushing as he anticipated what happened next in the film. Action films were his favorite as they got his adrenaline pumping while he imagined he was experiencing it with the characters, never quite knowing what was going to happen, but knowing that anything could at anytime.

"I still think we should have rented _Friends With Benefits," _Garcia muttered under her breath, snagging another handful of popcorn.

"Shh!" Morgan quieted her, without taking his eyes off the TV screen.

Garcia rolled her eyes, thinking that nothing woul be able to pull his ass off her couch or drag his eyes away from her TV while they watched the stupid action films he picked out for their movie nights. Nothing fazed him. Even if his mother called him to tell him the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers in the Superbowl, he wouldn't blink. So, when his cell phone rang and he answered it without bothering to pause the movie, she was shocked.

"Yeah Emily," he smiled into the phone. "I'll meet you in a minute."

When the call ended, he shot off the couch, quickly gathering the rest of his belongings. "Sorry Baby Girl," he apologized, rushing out of her apartment. "But I gotta go."

"Well if that's not a booty call," the blonde huffed as her chocolate thunder disappeared. "I don't know what is."

_If you wanna call me, call me, call me_

_You don't have to worry bout it, Baby_

_You can wake me up in the dead of the night_

_Wreck my plans, Baby that's alright_

_This is a drop everything kind of thing_

_Swing on by, I'll pour you a drink_

_The door's unlocked, I'll leave on the lights_

_Baby, you can crash my party anytime_

"You know Garcia's probably thinking that was a booty call," Derek commented to Emily as they sat facing each other on the love seat in Emily's living room.

Shaking her head, the brunette pulled her knees up to her chin and hugged her legs. "She'd never believe that I only called you to fix my DVD player." Her grin faded to just a small toothless smile as she rested her head against the back of the sofa. Quietly, she stated, "You didn't have to come."

He smiled. Of course he had to come. He had promised her that whenever she needed him that he'd be there. Of course a broken DVD player wasn't as important as comforting an upset friend, but she needed him none the less. And as much as he loved his weekly movie nights with Garcia, he knew that he wouldn't hesitate to leave in the middle of a movie night again if Emily called.

"Oh, I had to," he replied with a smirk. "You sounded pretty desperate on the phone when you told me your DVD player ate your _Star Wars _movie.

"Shut up," she laughed, tossing a throw pillow at him.

_If it's two in the mornin' _

_And you're feelin' lonely_

_And wonderin' what I'm doin'_

Sighing, Emily rolled onto her side trying to get comfortable. Still unable to drift to sleep, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to focus them so she could read the time on the alarm clock. Seeing the block number read 2:00 a.m. she dropped her head back onto her pillows, wondering what to do, since she was unable to sleep.

It was two in the morning, there was no doubt in her mind that he was sleeping. Yet, she didn't know what else to do.

The case they had just wrapped up still haunted her and working on the report late into the night hadn't of done her any favors.

A single tear streaming down her cheek, reminded her of how alone she felt in the darkness and the quietness of her apartment. While she was sure calling him in the middle of the night wasn't what he meant when he told her that she could call whenever she needed, she grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table and didn't hesitate to dial his number.

_Go ahead and call me, call me, call me_

_Cause you don't have to worry bout it, Baby_

_You can wake me up in the dead of the night_

_Wreck my plans, Baby that's alright_

_This is a drop everything kind of thing_

_Swing on by, I'll pour you a drink_

_The door's unlocked, I'll leave on the lights_

_Baby, you can crash my party anytime_

"Can I come over?"

Her voice was so weak and scared, Derek mused as he jumped out of bed at the sound of her voice. And while it was so late, he couldn't deny her. Not when she needed him. Turning on all of the lights, he wandered into the living room and unlocked the front door for her before walking into the kitchen.

"Swing on by," he said into the mouthpiece of his phone. "I'll pour you a drink."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Always."


End file.
